When I first went to Asia, specifically Singapore, I was stressed by lost restaurant and hotel bookings and discovered these vital things:
BUSINESS CARDS ARE SOMETIMES VITAL, ALWAYS HELPFUL
1 You must hand over a business card with both hands.
2 You do not put somebody else's card in a back pocket which you sit on.
3 An office receptionist wants your card so she can check she is not inadvertently sending an office junior to meet the CEO or vice versa but can match you up with the correct department and level of expertise and status.
4 People want your card in order to pronounce your name, remember it, and find some subject to discuss, such as, "Where did you do your degree," or, "Oh I see you were in England. I studied there. My son is studying there now."
5 You need a business card to hand quickly to somebody on a us or train when you or they leap off on reaching your stop, no time to write it out.
6 Many people have unpronounceable names, so they use a Western nickname, ideally using their initials or a name which starts with the same letter.
7 Chinese names start with the family or clan name, then secondly the 'first' or given or personal name.
8 A hotel or airline may think your first name is your surname. We several times tried to check into a hotel or onto an airline which claimed to have no record. When we were able to persuade the receptionist to let us check the list we were able to identify the problem.
9 People overseas do not know which is your first name and which is your surname, nor how to address you. A common question is, "How do I address you?"
Photo from wikipedia in article on Namaste.
10 Namaste
Namaste as a Hindu greeting. Namaha is bow and te is you. This greeting is said in Parts of Nepal, depending on the tribe, as well as in India.
As a hands together greeting you will find it from all sorts of people in all Asian countries, people wearing religious dress, especially women, airline staff, restaurant staff, hotel staff.
If you want to avoid touching other people's sweaty hands by shaking hands before eating from a buffet at a hotel or meeting, you can put your hands together in a namaste as you enter a room. Then bow in greeting to various people, without embarrassing them by avoiding their proffered hand.
If you are running a meeting, carry a tray of drinking water and nod in greeting and wear a badge and say your name and ask the other person's name. That prevents your attempting to shake hands with people who don't shake hands.
Pronouncing Names Correctly
Consult the guest list in advance, or when signing in. Ask how to pronounce any unfamiliar names. If you are running an event, prepare name badges from your guest list. Read the names aloud and practise saying them. You can look up the people on Facebook or Linked in so that you recognise them. You could even put them in your contacts list.
As a hotel guest, you can check out the hotel manager or reception staff. This can provide their name, ensure you know who to greet. You could say something relevant, like, "Good evening Mr Wong. You must be the manager. I recognize you from your Facebook page. I saw you greeting the prime minister when the hotel opened last year."
If you later, want to move to a room overlooking the pool, or get an upgrade, you already know the manager, and feel at ease approaching him (or her). He (or she) already knows you and feels well disposed towards you.
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
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